PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Iron-ore major Fortescue has unveiled plans for a renewable energy hub to power its mining operations in the Pilbara.

In a proposal document submitted to the Western Australian Environmental Protection Authority, Fortescue outlines plans for the energy hub, which will consist of up to 340 wind turbines and a solar farm which will have a maximum energy generation capacity of 5.4 GW.

The proposal also includes a battery energy storage system, substations, associated supporting infrastructure, a series of tracks and roads to provide access and corridors for electrical cabling.

The project will be located 120 km south of Onslow, and will be built on 10 158 ha of land in the Uaroo pastoral station, which is owned by Fortescue chairperson and founder Andrew Forrest, under private investment company Tattarang.

Fortescue said in its documentation that the Uaroo renewable energy hub would provide renewable energy to power Fortescue Metals’ mining operations and fulfil the company’s commitment to produce net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from its operations, and its stretch target to do so by 2030.

The company said that the energy hub would enable Fortescue to reduce yearly GHG emissions by at least 1.5-million tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions by 2030.

“The Uaroo renewable energy hub is a compelling option because renewable energy is now, in many cases, the lowest-cost form of energy available, making its uptake a contributor to financial performance as well as climate health. In parallel, countries and corporations around the world have committed or are committing to net-zero emissions targets. For these reasons, the Uaroo renewable energy hub is important to both economic performance and future product attractiveness, and to securing a less damaging climatic future,” the company said in its proposal.

The project is expected to have an operating life of 42 years, but Fortescue noted that this could be much longer as the wind and solar resources are expected to be available at the site for the foreseeable future.